This Saturday night Conn and Hobba will vie for honours in Round 1 of the BigV finals before they battle it out in what could be a repeat of last season’s grand final a fortnight from now.

The Dandenong Rangers, who finished the season on top of the BigV table, will take on the second-placed Sandringham Sabres in an almighty clash on Saturday night, and the two emerging NBL heavyweights will play a key role in the outcome of the game.

Hobba and Conn, each on the radar for league MVP honours at season’s end, will battle it out in a classic contest that is bound to keep the statisticians busy all night long.

“It’s going to be a good game, we’ve been training since February so it’s good to be playing finals at last and to start against a team like Dandenong with a double chance is always a good thing,” Conn said.

“It’s really important to get the win this week because we split with them one and one throughout the season, so going into the grand final where I assume we’ll play them again, we want that psychological edge.”

The two national league teammates have shared similar pathways to the NBL, having risen through the ranks of US college basketball to find their way to the BigV and eventually, the Crazy John's South Dragons.

But the two big men don’t just play BigV; they dominate. Hobba ended the 2007 regular season averaging an impressive 21.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists per game; Conn hit 24.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists.

And both know their performances on Saturday night will go a long way to deciding the game's result.

“In the first game Dandenong definitely had the upper hand and Hobba played really well and they got the win, and then in the second game it was almost the reverse, I think I played well and Hobba struggled a bit and we got the win,” Conn said.

“We’re the two leading scorers for our teams and if you can shut down the opposition’s major scorer you’re in with a real shot to win, but that said, Dandenong have a lot of offensive weapons."

Hobba and the Rangers are the defending BigV champions, but it’s hard to know what will count for more come Saturday night – the Rangers’ will to go back to back or the Sabres’ desire to exact revenge on their foes after going down in last year’s final.

For Conn, who this year defected from Dandenong to join the Sabres’ line-up, revenge over his former side is at the forefront of his mind.

“The rivalry between the two sides is massive,” he said.

“Having played for Dandenong last year I want to beat my old club and on top of that, to beat one of my own teammates will add a little bit of friendly fire and a few bragging rights for a couple of weeks which is always a bit of fun.

“Last season at Dandenong we beat Sandringham in the final and that was a huge win and a great experience and this year I want to repeat that and be two from two in the BigV.”

Win or lose this weekend, the 2007 season has been a godsend for Conn, and is just the start of a big future ahead.

“To be honest I don’t think I would have got a spot with the Dragons if I hadn’t been playing pretty well in the ABA, so I’m really appreciative of that,” he said.

“It’s been great to be able to play every weekend and build up some really good form going into the NBL season.”

Dandenong Rangers v Sandringham Sabres
Saturday July 21 @ Dandenong Basketball Stadium
Tip-off 8:00PM
Tickets: Adults $5, Children (under 16) $2